The Willow Marsh Farm is an elegant and characterful boutique events space nestled in the East Midlands countryside on the borders of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire & Derbyshire.
When Natalie & Ryan got in touch with me about flowers for their July wedding they already had an idea that they wanted natural country garden style flowers to compliment the wonderful rustic atmosphere of the grand barn.
They decided on a white and green colour theme and I suggested adding in a few warmer shades of soft peaches, creams and neutral shades to add some depth to the arrangements. With a limited colour palette I think it’s also important to add in lots of textured elements too.
Natalie’s bouquet was full of the most beautiful flowers all gathered together in a my signature wild garden style. The stars of the bouquet are the exquisite garden roses, their perfume is just so beautifully fragrant. Naturally grown garden roses are just so special totally different from the mass produced imported roses that don’t have any perfume at all. We grow a few roses here at The Flower Patch and when they are in full bloom we really love to take a moment to literally stop and smell the roses.
The varieties I used here are Champagne Moments Rose, Chandos Beauty Rose and Koco Loco Rose these were picked from our gardens just a few days before the wedding. Other flowers chosen are White Cosmos, Scabious Fata Morgan, Wild carrot, creme brûlée Phlox and a white Phlox called David. All the wonderful textures come from the Poppy seed heads, Peach Hypericum berries, Thalaspi, Panicum explosion grasses and the fluffy tails of Pennisetum grasses. The wild foliage trails are Jasmine, which has the most attractive delicate leaves and a sweet perfume which comes from the flowers. I do think that having a lovely mix of garden grown flowers and all those added textures adds a touch of character and magic to Natalie’s bouquet.
Ryan was quite definite that he didn’t want a large blousy buttonhole and fortunately that’s not my style as I like to gather together lots of smaller elements in a more natural style. I chose all the textured elements that were also in Natalie’s bouquet like, Thalaspi, Panicum grass, tiny Poppy seed heads, white/creamy buttons of Achillea The Pearl and also included Barley. The advantage of choosing these ingredients is that they would all dry naturally and make a lovely dried flower buttonhole keepsake.
To decorate the tables Natalie & Ryan opted to fill their own bottles with our DIY flowers. We can supply buckets of mixed flowers and foliage in your colour theme to give you the option of doing your own table flowers, this will help to keep the costs down if you are on a tight budget. Bottles of flowers is a great cost effective option for your tables and your guests can take the flowers home after your party. We supplied flower buckets of Hydrangea Annabelle, Cosmos, Hypericum berries, lots of light and airy grasses along with herbs and green foliage. I particularly like how the grasses give an ethereal look within the ambient lighting of the grand barn.
To greet their guests at the entrance to the barn I suggested filling our large milk churns with country garden flowers. The milk churns make fabulous large feature arrangements and are perfect for a rustic wedding or a vintage theme wedding. The accommodation at The Willow Marsh Farm is in a beautifully renovated milking parlour so the milk churns fitted with the heritage of the farm perfectly. As well as looking very effective the milk churns are also a very practical option as they could easily be moved inside later so the flowers could be enjoyed all day.
Along with lots of freshly picked garden foliages we added in some Hydrangea Annabelle, White Cosmos, Phlox, Bronze Fennel, Wild carrot, Poppy seed heads, Hypericum berries and Golden oat grasses to pick out the warm colour of the stones on the barn.
As an eco florist I always try and work as sustainably as possible so the flowers were arranged naturally in fresh water. I never use floral foam for my arrangements as this is a single use plastic and will never biodegrade therefore it is extremely damaging to the environment. We value the planet and love working with like minded couples who are looking for eco friendly wedding flowers designed in a sustainable way.
I loved growing and creating the flowers and foliages to create Natalie & Ryan’s wedding flowers. I’m so pleased they chose natural sustainable flowers to celebrate their wedding day.
If you are looking for garden gathered seasonal flowers for your wedding or event in the Midlands then please get in touch I’d love to hear your ideas and advise on your floral arrangements. Take a look at our wedding page on our website for full details of our services and prices.
Venue: The Willow Marsh Farm
Photographer: Bowl Of Cork Weddings
Florist: The Flower Patch
